The Water Framework Directive provides a framework for water protection and management, complementing earlier EU water policies that are still in place, such as those concerning urban wastewater and bathing water. In 2012, the Commission published the communication 'A blueprint to safeguard Europe's water resources' (EC, 2012b), which focuses on policy actions that can help improve implementation of current water legislation. The Blueprint focuses on the integration of water policy objectives into other policies. In addition, in recent years European countries that are not EU Member States have developed similar river basin activities to those introduced by the WFD in the EU Member States